Thermal vaporization apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

A vaporizer apparatus for vaporizing medical herbs and essences is described that uses an electrical power driven medium to vaporize the herbs and essences. The vaporizer apparatus has a heating element assembly mounted at an angle within an enclosure. The heating element assembly also includes an insulating shield which covers the heating element and which has a mating section for mating with a hand piece. The hand piece includes a vaporization chamber where herbs are packed, an inlet for connecting with the mating section of the shield, and an outlet for inhalation by a user. Methods for using the vaporizer apparatus is also discussed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/510,533. filed Aug.24. 2006, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/256,633,filed Sep. 27, 2002, which claimed priority to provisional applicationSer. No. 60/326,027, filed on Sep. 29, 2001, entitled THERMALATOMIZATION AND VAPORIZATION TECHNIQUE FOR MASS TRANSPORTATION OFBOTANICAL SPECIMENS USING AN INSTANT VAPORIZER, the contents of each ofwhich are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference as if setforth in full.

Thermal vaporization devices discussed herein generally relate todevices for vaporizing carriers, such as medicine herbs and floweressences, for inhalation: and more specifically to thermal vaporizationdevices which include an electrically driven heating chamber for heatingand vaporizing fragrances and aroma from the vapor releasing carriers.

BACKGROUND

Vaporizing carriers for aroma-therapy such as medicine herbs and floweressences to release active elements and essences is well known in theart. In general, the vaporization process includes directly burning acarrier in a pipe and then inhaling the smoke released from the burntcarrier. Alternatively, for inhaling cooler and filtered smoke, asmoking device having a water reservoir is used to filter the vaporizedsmoke before inhalation.

Plants have been used for their medicinal properties and aroma-therapiesfor many years. In fact, the majority of medicines used today are eitherderived directly from plants or synthesized as variations of naturalmolecules derived therefrom. When vaporized essences and fragrances areinhaled, several benefits are derived including directly applying theactive ingredients to the pulmonary tract to treat diseases such asasthma and bronchitis. Drug inhalation also circumvents the “first-passeffect”, which typically occurs when drugs are taken orally andprocessed by the intestines and then partially or entirely metabolizedby the liver before entering the blood stream.

In addition to using plants and flowers for curing diseases, floweressences and fragrances are believed to provide therapeutic qualities asthey are thought to work on an emotional level to harmonize negativefeelings and belief patterns held in the subconscious mind. On theAustralian Bush Flower Essences website, it was reported that theAustralian Aborigines and the Ancient Egyptians have always used flowersto heal their emotions. The effect of these essences or fragrances issimilar to that of meditation in that they enable the meditating partyto access his or her subconscious mind to allow positive virtues such aslove, joy, faith, courage, etc. to flood his or her souls.

To date, the only technique available for accomplishing pulmonaryapplication of crude natural drugs has been via the method of smoking.Examples of prior smoking apparatus include U.S. Pat. No. 87,603 toTichenor, which discloses a device for continuously heating orpyrolizing a substance on a grating, and U.S. Pat. No. 1,858,580 toCollins, which discloses a smoking apparatus that uses steam to vaporizecarriers by heating a water chamber with a heating coil. Another exampleincludes U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,301 to Pate, which discloses a vaporizerapparatus for uniformly extracting active ingredients from a specimenwithout pyrolysis. The '301 patent uses hot air or a heated inert gasstream to vaporize the specimen for inhalation. The heated air or gas isintroduced to the device from the device's lower portion (from either ahot air gun or a high pressure tank connected to a heat exchanger) andascends through a permeable support structure (e.g., fritted glass disk,etc.). The gas causes specimen particles disposed on the permeablesupport structure to be suspended within the confines of an isolationchamber for inhalation.

FIG. 1 a is a prior art vaporizer device 1 manufactured by the inventorsof the present invention. Although the prior art vaporizer device 1 waseffective and was well received, it had several shortcomings. Amongother things, the housing 2 does not have any ventilation other than thetop opening. Thus, the prior art housing 2 must be sufficiently largerelative to the heating element 3 to ensure sufficient air circulation.This places constraints on the housing size, shape, and configuration.In addition, the heating element 3 was mounted vertical within thehousing 2 and with respect to the base. Accordingly, when the vaporizerdevice 1 is used, the herbs tend to fall out of the vaporizing chamber(not shown) into the heating element 3 where they can ignite.

Another shortcoming of the prior art vaporizer device 1 is the inabilityto view the heating element while the same is being used. Consequently,it is difficult to discern how much of the control knob 4 to adjust orturn to regulate the amount of heat generated the heating element 3during use. Finally, the prior art hand piece 5 (FIG. 1 b) used incombination with the prior art vaporizer device 1 similarly suffers fromseveral shortcomings. For example, the inlet end comprises a deep wellfor receiving the heating element 3. Due to the configuration, avaporization chamber 7 is not readily accessible. This makes the priorart hand piece 5 both difficult to use (i.e., to pack) and to clean.Furthermore, the design does not allow for an efficient intake air toherb contact, as some of the herbs will dislodge within the end space 8of the hand piece 5.

Therefore, it would be desirable to develop a vaporizer that efficientlyvaporizes carriers for mass transportation of botanical fragrances inthe field of aroma-therapy that is also relatively inexpensive andwithout the shortcomings experienced by the prior art devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a vaporizer device, which may becharacterized by an apparatus for extracting essences from a medicinalcarrier, the apparatus comprising a housing having four sides, a frontside, aback side, a top side, and a bottom side, and at least twoopenings located on two of the four sides; an interior space defined bythe four sides, the interior space comprises a mounting assembly with aheating element assembly mounted thereon. The mounting assembly mountingthe heating element assembly at an angle relative to the bottom side andat a position which places the heating element assembly's annularopening adjacent one of the at least two openings.

The apparatus further comprising a power regulator for regulating theheating element assembly's electrical power consumption, the powerregulator comprises electronic circuits and the power regulator beingdisposed on the housing at a position that is in viewing relationshipwith the annular opening of the heating element assembly. A shieldhaving a body section for covering the heating element assembly and amating section for mating with a hand piece is also used. Wherein thehand piece comprises an axial bore, a vaporization chamber for receivingthe medicinal carrier, an inlet end, an outlet end, and a reduceddiameter section of the axial bore for minimizing passage of themedicinal carrier out of the outlet end during use; the inlet end beingconfigured to contact with the mating section of the shield and theoutlet end being configured to directly contact a user or to anextension member for inhalation by the user.

The present invention also discloses a method of using the vaporizerapparatus. The method includes powering up a vaporizer apparatus byplugging the same into a power outlet, the vaporizer apparatuscomprising a heating element assembly that is controllable by a powerregulator mounted within an interior space of a housing at an anglerelative to the housing's base. The housing comprises an access openingfor manipulating the heating element assembly and at least oneventilation opening that is spaced apart from the access opening. Theapparatus is used by loading a vaporization chamber of a hand piece withthe botanical specimen and providing a heated air stream to thebotanical specimen to heat the botanical specimen to a temperature thatis higher than ambient temperature. Finally, the method includesextracting active ingredients out of the specimen by inhaling directlyor indirectly from the hand piece.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is best understood from the following detailed descriptionwhen read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It isemphasized that, according to common practice, the various features ofthe drawings are not to scale. On the contrary, the dimensions of thevarious features are arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. Likenumerals denote like features throughout the specification and drawings.Included are the following figures:

FIG. 1 a is a semi-schematic cross-sectional view of a prior artvaporizer device;

FIG. 1 b is a semi-schematic cross-sectional view and side view of theprior art hand piece.

FIG. 1 is a semi-schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplaryembodiment of a vaporizer apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a semi-schematic exploded view of the enclosure of thevaporizer apparatus according to one embodiment of the invention:

FIG. 3 is a semi-schematic exploded perspective view of a heatingelement assembly as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3:

FIG. 4 is a semi-schematic cross sectional view of a hand piece abuttingthe heating element;

FIG. 5 is combination semi-schematic side view and cross-sectional viewof the hand piece in use with the vaporizer apparatus;

FIG. 6 is a semi-schematic perspective view of a modified shield and amodified hand piece of the vaporizer apparatus used in combination witha smoking device that has a water reservoir;

FIG. 7 is a semi-schematic perspective view of a power regulator of thevaporizer apparatus:

FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of an electrical circuit for theheating element assembly;

FIG. 9 depicts various method steps utilized in the operation of thevaporizer apparatus;

FIG. 10 is another semi-schematic perspective view of a modified shieldand a modified hand piece of the vaporizer apparatus used in combinationwith a smoking device that has a water reservoir:

FIG. 11 is a semi-schematic cross-sectional view of an alternative handpiece provided in accordance with practice of the present invention; and

FIG. 12 is a semi-schematic cross-sectional view of the vaporizerapparatus being used in combination with an aroma therapy attachment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appendeddrawings is intended as a description of the presently preferredembodiments of the thermal vaporization devices provided in accordancewith the present invention and is not intended to represent the onlyforms in which the present invention may be constructed or utilized. Thedescription sets forth the features and the steps for constructing andusing thermal vaporization devices of the present invention inconnection with the illustrated embodiments. It is to be understood,however, that the same or equivalent functions and structures may beaccomplished by different embodiments, which are also intended to beencompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention. Also, asdenoted elsewhere herein, like element numbers are intended to indicatelike or similar elements or features.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method forvaporizing herbs, natural products, floral essences, etc. thatpreferably have high moisture and oil contents. Collectively, thesesubstances will be referred to as carriers or herbs, which when heatedemit smoke containing medicinal and/or therapeutic qualities.

Broadly speaking, the present invention comprises an electrical heatingelement contained in a heating chamber, which emit radiation, convectionand conduction heat to the intake air. The heated intake air then passesthrough a vaporizing chamber, which contains a desired amount of herbs,to vaporize the herbs. A control switch for controlling the amount ofheat generated by the heating element to heat the intake air ispreferably used to regulate the heating element. Vaporized aroma andessences, i.e., smoke, are then carried out of the herbs by negative airpressure generated by the user, which are then inhaled by the user forthe desired therapeutic effects.

Turning now to FIG. 1, there is shown an exemplary embodiment of avaporizer apparatus provided in accordance with practice of the presentinvention, which is generally designated 10. The vaporizer apparatus 10shown includes an enclosure 12 for housing a wire assembly 14, a heatingelement assembly 16, a shield 18, and a dimmer assembly or powerregulator 20. The vaporizer apparatus 10 is preferably used with a handpiece 22 by placing the hand piece adjacent the shield 18 until theycontact and then holding the hand piece in the contacted position duringinhalation so that air may transfer from the vaporizer apparatus 10through to the hand piece and then on through to the user, as furtherdiscussed below. The shield 18 comprises a tapered end 19, which has anopening 21 to allow the passing of the intake or draw air.

The hand piece 22 preferably comprises a glass pipe or tube that iscommercially available from Pyrex, or its equivalence. The hand piece 22has an inlet end 24 and an outlet end 26 and a groove 28 disposedthereinbetween, preferably near the inlet end. The inlet end 24 includesa flared or tapered section 30 that is dimensioned to mate with the conesection of the shield, and the outlet end 26 is preferably tapered alongthe longitudinal axis of the hand piece 22 to a dimension that issmaller relative to the inlet end for connecting to a flexible tube orextension member 32. The flexible tube 32 utilized in the presentembodiment is preferably a commercially available clear vinyl or plastictubing, which may optionally be opaque or semi-opaque. The flexibletubing 32 is connected on one end to the outlet end 26 of the hand piece22 and is open on the other end, the draw end 34, for inhalation.Optionally, the hand piece 22 may be used without the flexible tubing32.

A screen 36, which is made of a small wire meshed material is fittedwithin the groove 28 of the hand piece 22 by pushing the screen from theinlet end 24 until the outer perimeter of the screen wedges within thespace provided by the groove. In one embodiment, the screen 36 is madefrom a stainless steel mesh. However, any variety of small meshedmaterials may be utilized in the present embodiment provided they are(1) sufficiently small to capture certain sized suspended materials andair borne ash present in the smoke, and (2) are capable of withstandingthe temperature of the smoke. The screen 36 may be replaced by using awooden skewer stick, or a similar tool, to push and dislodge the screenfrom the groove 28 out of the inlet end 24. Once the used screen isremoved, a new fine meshed screen may be inserted and seated in thegroove 28. The vaporizing chamber 33 is located in between the screen 36and the inlet end 24, where herbs are packed for vaporizing.

FIG. 2 is a semi-schematic exploded perspective view of the enclosure 12provided in accordance to one embodiment of the invention. As shown inFIG. 2, the enclosure 12 is assembled from a plurality of individualpanels, which in the present embodiment includes wood and plasticpanels. The enclosure 12 comprises an upper panel 38, two side panels40, 42, a face panel 44, an end panel 46, which are preferably made fromberch wood, and a bottom panel 48, which is preferably made from plasticand which has an opening 41 for ventilation. However, the number ofindividual panels and the material type can vary depending on the shapeand modifications desired by a person skilled in the art. In addition,other openings may be incorporated in the other panels to permit evengreater circulation within the enclosure 12.

To assemble the enclosure 12, the upper 38, side 40, 42, face 44, andend 46 panels are glued, nailed, and/or fastened to one another alongtheir edges. Together, these components form the upper enclosurehousing. When so formed, the upper enclosure housing defines a centralcavity 43, a backside 45, and a front side 47 (FIG. 1).

To attach the plastic bottom panel 48 to the upper enclosure housing, aslot or channel 50 is machined into the end panel 46, along the lowerside of the surface that faces into the interior of the upper enclosurehousing 12. The slot 50 is configured to receive a first edge 51 of thebottom panel 48. As for the second edge 53 of the bottom panel 48, holesare provided along the underside 49 of the lower ledge 52 of the facepanel 44 to threadedly receive a pair of screws or fasteners (notshown). Holes 54 are also provided near the second edge 53 of the bottompanel 48. Thus, once the upper enclosure housing is formed, the bottompanel 48 may be assembled to the upper enclosure housing by sliding thefirst edge 51 into the slot 50 located on the end panel 46 and thenthreading a pair of screws through the hold-down holes 54 and into theunderside 49 of the lower ledge 52 of the face panel 44.

Referring again to FIG. 1 in addition to FIG. 2, the enclosure 12supports the heating element assembly 16 and the wire assembly 14, andholds the dimmer assembly 20 in place along the face panel 44. Moreparticularly, the face panel 44 includes an upper ledge 56 in additionto the lower ledge 52 and a mounting channel 58 defined thereinbetween.The mounting channel 58 is configured to receive the dimmer assembly 20and includes an opening 60 for allowing the control arm on the dimmerassembly 20 to protrude therethrough. As further discussed below, thecontrol arm allows the user to control the amount of heat generated bythe heating element assembly 16.

To support the heating element assembly 16, a support plate 62 is used(FIG. 1). The support plate 62 has a top surface 64, a bottom surface66, a front surface 68, a back surface 70, and two side surfaces 72. Thesupport plate 62 may be mounted to the upper enclosure housing bynailing, fastening, and/or gluing the top surface 64 to the upper panel38 and the two side surfaces 72 to the two side panels 40, 42.Optionally, the upper panel 38 may include a slot and the support plate62 received in the slot for registering the location of the supportplate with respect to the front side of the vaporizer apparatus 10. Thesupport plate 62 is configured to support the heating element 16 byproviding an opening 74 through which the heating element 16 can besecured thereto.

For viewing the heating element assembly 16 for color, such as a brightorange or a dull red, to determine whether the device is ready for useand having conveniently placed dimmer control knob 20 for controllingthe heating element assembly, the heating element assembly is preferablymounted at angle close to the opening 35 of the enclosure 12 (FIG. 1).In addition, by mounting the heating element assembly 16 at an angle andclose to the opening 35, the vaporization device 10 is more ergonomicthan the prior art device 1 (FIG. 1) as it is easier for the user toconnect the hand piece 22 from the side than from the top, where his orher view may be obstructed. Preferably, the angle is between 25° to 90°from vertical, with 45° to 60° being more preferred. Vertical can beassumed to be the orientation of the prior art heating element 3 (FIG.1).

Alternatively, the present invention may be practiced without tiltingthe hand piece 22 to mate with the shield 18, which places the inlet end24 below the outlet end 26 as shown in FIG. 1. For example, thevaporizer apparatus 10 may be inverted so that the hand piece 22 ismated to the shield 18 when moved from a lower position to a higherposition. When an practiced, the inlet end 24 of the hand piece 22 willbe higher than the outlet end 26 (this may be visualized by turning FIG.1 a half-circle rotation, i.e., 180°). One advantage to implementingthis change is the ability to eliminate the packed essences in the handpiece 22 from falling out of the inlet end 24 during usage. Accordingly,the mounting angle of the heating element assembly 16 may also be 91° to180° from vertical, with 110° to 180° being more preferred.

It is understood that when the mounting angle of the heating element 18is varied (such as discussed above), variations in the placement of thedimmer assembly 20 and the configuration of the enclosure 12 may alsovary to provide the user with easy access to both the dimmer assemblyand the heating element assembly. Accordingly, all such changes arecontemplated to fall within the scope of the present invention.

As readily apparent, the bottom panel 48 is removable for easy access tothe central cavity 43 of the upper enclosure housing. This is desirablewhere maintenance is contemplated, such as for changing the wiring, forreplacing the heating element assembly, etc. Referring again to FIG. 2,the bottom panel 48 may include integrally molded support legs 76 forelevating the enclosure 12 from a support surface, such as a table or acounter top. If the bottom panel 48 is instead made from wood, rubberstops or cushions may used to provide the same elevation function as thesupport legs 76.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the heating element assembly 16. Theheating element assembly 16, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, is a modifiedversion of a heating coil commonly incorporated in a 30-watt solderingiron, which is commercially available from a variety of retailers. Onesuch retailer is CVF Supply Company at www.cvfsupplycompany.com. U.S.Pat. No. 5,031,817 to Chen and U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,289 to Santoro etal., the contents of which are expressly incorporated herein byreference, describe the principles and operations of soldering irons.Thus, further discussion is not believed necessary.

In one embodiment, the heating element assembly 16 includes a base 80and an inner core assembly 82 disposed within an outer steel casing 78.The inner core assembly 82 includes an inner steel core 84 having acylindrical shank 86 connected to a cylindrical head 88. The inner steelcore 84 defining a passage or annular opening 90 for air flow to flowthrough during a draw or inhalation by the user. Similarly, the base 80includes a passage 91 that aligns with the annular opening 90 of theinner steel core 84 for air flow to flow through, as further discussedbelow.

The cylindrical shank 86 includes a threaded groove 92 for receiving aset screw, which is positioned in a corresponding spatial relationshipas the threaded groove 94 located on the outer steel casing 78. Aheating coil assembly 96 wrapped around by an outer insulating assembly98 is then mounted over the shank 86 of the inner steel core 84, whichtogether makes up the inner core assembly 92. The inner core assembly 92as described is similar to a commercially available 30-watt solderingiron.

The inner core assembly 82 is then positioned into the outer steelcasing 78 by sliding the inner core into the distal end 100 until theneck section 102 on the cylinder head 88 abuts the distal end of thesteel casing. The inner core assembly 82 is then secured to the outersteel casing 78 by inserting a set screw (not shown) through the opening94 located on the outer steel casing. The outer steel casing 78 and theinner core assembly 82 are then mounted onto the base 80 with the wireleads on the heating coil assembly 96 connected according to theelectrical diagram shown in FIG. 8, and described further below.Fastening one or more screws 93 through the flange 95 and then to thethreaded receptacles 97 located on the base will secure the twocomponents together. The base is preferably made from a phenolicmaterial but may optionally be made from any high temperature resistancematerial such as fiberglass and ceramic.

The outer steel casing 78 has a plurality of ports 106 distributed onthe surface of the steel casing to function as air inlets for coolingthe heating coil assembly 96. The described heating element assembly 16is then mounted onto the support plate 62, which is then mounted to thecentral cavity 43 of the enclosure 12 in the manner previouslydiscussed. The shield 18 is then placed over the heating elementassembly 16 to shield the same from direct contact therewith. Althoughthe heating element assembly 16 is described with particularity, it isunderstood that other heating element assemblies may be used, such as aceramic heating assembly, which may be found in home space heaters.

In the present embodiment, the shield 18 acts to minimize heat loss fromthe heating element assembly 16 and to insulate the enclosure 12, amongothers. Thus, other shielding or insulation means may be used instead ofor in addition to the glass shield 18 to provide the stated functions.For example, fiberglass insulating material may be wrapped around theshield 18 while leaving the mating section or tapered end 19 of theshield exposed for mating with the hand piece 22. When so implementedwith the additional insulation, the enclosure 12 may be modified to takeon a smaller contour relative to the heating element assembly 16 toprovide for an overall more compact vaporizer apparatus 10.

FIG. 4 is a combination plan view and cross-section view of the handpiece 22 for mating with the shield 18 located on the heating elementassembly 16. As previously discussed, the hand piece 22 comprises aninlet end 24, and outlet end 26, and a groove 28 disposedthereinbetween. As shown, the inlet end includes an outward radius ortapered section 30 that matches the opening 21 of the shield 18, aninner surface 108 that forms an enclosure for the intake air, an outersurface 110 for gripping, and a longitudinal axis 112. Exemplarydimensions include an overall length of 5-8 inches, largest diametercross-section of 0.65-1.0 inch, and glass thickness of 0.0625-0.125inch. However, other dimensions may be used with equal effectiveness andare contemplated to fall within the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 5 depicts the manner in which the hand piece 22 is utilized withthe vaporizer apparatus 10. FIG. 5 specifically illustrates theplacement of the hand piece 22 to the distal end of the shield 18 toprovide a flow path from between heating element assembly 16 and thehand piece. As shown, the tapered end 30 of the hand piece 22 is incontact with the distal end 114 of the shield 18, which has asemi-closed end or dome 19 having an opening centrally located thereonfor air flow. The semi-closed end or dome 19 preferably has a curvaturethat corresponds to the outward radius 30 of the inlet end 24 of thehand piece such that when the outward radius or tapered end 30 abutswith the semi-closed end 116, a sufficiently tight seal is formed whichis capable of sealing the interface between the two from excessive orunwanted leakage.

In use, the apparatus 10 is first plugged into an electrical socket andthe dimmer assembly 20 is turned to adjust the input power to theheating element assembly 16, i.e., the apparatus is heated to thecorrect temperature. Herbs or carriers are then packed into the handpiece 22 and the hand piece is then connected to the shield 18, which isplaced over the heating element assembly 16. Negative pressure is thengenerated at the outlet end 26 of the hand piece 22, or at the draw end34 of a flexible tubing 32 if one is connected to the hand piece, by auser. A corresponding negative pressure is generated at the opening 91located on the base unit 80. Negative pressure causes air to flowthrough the opening 91 and then through the annular passage 90 of theinner steel core 84 where it finally exits the semi-closed end 116located on the shield 18.

When air travels through the annular passage 90 of the inner steel core84, air is heated by the inner steel core via conduction, convection,and radiation heat generated by the heating element assembly 16. Theamount of air temperature rise depends in part on the dimmer assembly 20setting, as further discussed below, and the amount of negative pressuregenerated by the user at the outlet end 26, which determines the airvolume and velocity as air travels through the annular passage 90.

Accordingly, when herbs or carriers are packed within the vaporizationchamber 33, which is defined by the space located in between the screen36 and the inlet end 24 of the hand piece, dry heated air passes throughthe packed herbs and vaporizes the essences and aroma that are presentin the herbs to produce smoke. The smoke is then mixed with the intakeair and travels out of the outlet end 26, or draw end 34 if a flexibletubing 32 is used, and into the lungs of the user.

The amount or quality of essences extracted is dependent on the setpoint of the vaporizer, the volume of the airflow, and the properties ofthe herbs that is to be extracted out of the herbs. The apparatus may bemodified to exchange and carry out multiple samples efficiently byadding additional vaporizing chambers. For example, a tee or severaltees may be used with each branch of each tee having a hand piecemounted thereto and connected to the heating element assembly forconcurrently serving multiple users.

FIG. 6 shows an alternative application for the vaporizer apparatus 10provided in accordance with practice of the present invention. Broadlyspeaking, the alternative application includes the use of a water mediumfor cooling the smoke before it enters the user's lungs. As shown, amodified hand piece 120 fabricated from a glass tube and having a screen36 positioned within a groove 28 is used, which has a receiving end 122and an outlet end 123. The receiving end 122 is configured to receive aportion of a modified shield 126 so that a portion of the shield fitsinside the receiving end. This interaction between the receiving end 122and the shield 126 produces a greater surface contact between the twocomponents, and hence, a better seal than the embodiment shown in FIG.1.

In particular, the shield 126 includes a tapered cone section 124, whichis dimensioned such that it is capable of being inserted into thereceiving end 122 of the hand piece 120 to form a suitably tight seal.The tapered cone comprises a small inlet diameter 121 that issufficiently smaller than the diameter of the receiving end 122. Theserelative dimensions allow the receiving end 122 to easily fit over thetapered cone section 124 of the modified shield 126 to provide a sealwithout having to maneuver the two components until their respectivecurvatures match, such as that shown in FIG. 5. Thus, a more effectiveseal is provided between the connection point of the present inventionrelative to the connection point of the invention disclosed in FIGS. 1and 5. It is understood that the shield 126 and the heating elementassembly 16 are part of the vaporizer apparatus 10 described above,which has been eliminated for clarity purposes. For obvious reasons, atighter seal is preferred, as there are more connections, lengths, andpressure drop from between the user and the vaporization chamber 33.

The water medium is contained with a flask container 128 and is filledto a pre-determined level, which is above the inlet end of a down stem130. The space above the water level and the stopper 134 inside theflask container 128 is referred to as the vapor chamber 135. Theflexible tube 32, which is connected to the outlet end 123 of themodified hand piece 120, is connected to one end of a first sample tube127. A second sample tube 132 is positioned through the two-hole stopper134, which has a first end disposed within the flask but above the waterlevel 133 and a second end that is connected to a second flexible tube136. As shown, the second flexible tube 136 has a free end or a draw end138 that is configured for inhalation by a user.

Although not shown, the draw end 138 may be attached to a draw element,which has a shape that facilitates connection or attachment to the mouthof lips of the user. In addition, the invention may be practiced byeliminating the down stem 130 from the flask container 128 and insertingthe first sample tube 127 directly into the two-hole stopper 134. Stillalternatively, a conventional water-based smoking apparatus may be usedinstead of the flask container 128.

In use, the vaporizer assembly 10 is powered up by plugging the cord ofthe heating element assembly 16 into an electrical outlet. Herbs arethen packed into the vaporizing chamber 33. The user then places thereceiving end 122 over the tapered end 124 of the shield 126 andinhales. The user creates negative pressure by inhaling on the draw end138. The inhalation creates a vacuum in the vapor chamber 135, whichcauses the water level to rise, which then causes a vacuum in the firstflexible tubing 32. As previously discussed, the vacuum in the firstflexible tubing causes air to flow through the opening 91 in the base 80(not shown) and through the annular opening in the inner steel core 84(not shown in FIG. 6 but shown in FIG. 3).

As air travels through the inner steel core 84, the inner steel coreheats it. Heated air then travels through the vaporizing chamber 33where it contacts with the packed herbs. The heat vaporizes some of theactive ingredients present in the herbs, which release in the form ofsmoke. Smoke and heated air then travels through the flex tube 32 thenthrough the water medium. The mixture of smoke and air is then cooled bythe water medium as it rises through the water medium up to the vaporchamber 135. Cooled mixture of smoke and air then flows through thesecond tube sample 132 and the second flexible tube 136 where it exitsthe draw end 138 and into the lungs of the user. In addition to coolingthe mixture of smoke and air, the water medium also filters air bornematters that may be carried with the smoke when the carriers are heated.

FIG. 7 is a semi-schematic side view of the dimmer assembly 20 providedin accordance to one embodiment of the invention. The dimmer assembly 20is a commercially available full-range rotary manual dimmer switch, alsocommonly referred to as a rheostat 139. The dimmer assembly 20 includesa control arm 140 and a control knob 142 having a positive click “off”with extended semi-circular rotation for full range dimming control. Thedimmer switch 20 has leads or wires 144 for connecting to an electricalsource and mechanisms for locking the switch in the off position untilpositively turned to an “on” position. The knob 142 rotates to increaseor decrease the intensity of the electric current thereby increasing ordecreasing the intensity of heat emanating from the heating elementassembly 16. Alternatively, other power regulators having controlcircuits such as a transistor type dimmer switch, commonly referred toas a TRIAC, may be used to more efficiently operate the heating elementassembly 16.

FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of the electrical wiringimplemented in accordance with the present invention, generallydesignated 146. The electrical circuit 146 includes a power source 148,which is electrically connected in series to the full range dimmerswitch 20. Connected to the dimmer switch 20 at node 150 are an optionallamp 152 and the heating element assembly 16. The lamp 152 and theheating element assembly 16 are connected at node 154, thus providingthem with a parallel electrical configuration. The lamp 152, ifincluded, may be placed in the central cavity 43 of the upper housingenclosure by loosely attaching it to the bottom panel 48. A lead 156extending from the heating element assembly 16 is connected to agrounding lug 158 to ground the entire vaporizer assembly 10.

FIG. 9 depicts various method steps 160 utilized in the operation of thevaporizer apparatus 10 of the present invention. First, after pluggingthe assembly into an electrical outlet, the knob 142 on the dimmerassembly 20 is turned Co the highest setting (i.e., maximum rotation) toallow the heating element assembly 16 to warm up, which is typically inthe order of approximately 10 minutes. When the inside of the heatingelement assembly 16 becomes bright orange, the knob 142 is turned downin the off direction a little less than a quarter turn. Concurrently,before, of after, the vaporization chamber 33 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 4-6)of the hand piece 22 is loaded 164 with herbs. The herbs are eithergrounded or fluffed up to maximize surface contact with the heated airthat is to be drawn in, which in turn ensures greater vaporization ofthe active ingredients. The user loads sufficient herbs to cover thescreen, but preferably no more than approximately one-third of thevaporization chamber 33. Excessive force in packing the herbs in thevaporization chamber is not recommended as that may dislodge the screen36 out from the groove 28 of the hand piece 22.

The user then places the inlet end 24, 122 over the end of the shield18, 126, which is positioned over the heating element assembly 16. Theuser initially observes the color of the heating element assembly 16. Ifthe color is bright orange, the user then draws in air quickly 166 tokeep the heating element assembly 16 cool. Rapid inhalation alsominimizes the likelihood that the herbs will ignite, as heat will nothave sufficient time to build up. If the color is a dull red, then theuser inhales naturally, similar to normal breathing. Thus, it may bebeneficial to mark the control knob 142 on the dimmer assembly 20 afterthe desirable setting has been established. Inhalation by the usercauses heated air stream to pass through the botanical specimen presentin the vaporization chamber 33, which in turn extracts and transfersactive ingredients to the user.

The user inhales steadily but fast enough to hear a subtle whistlingsound in the hand piece 22, 120. If the contents of the vaporizationchamber 33 accidentally ignite during the inhalation process, the usershould immediately stop inhaling, removes the hand piece 22, 120 fromthe shield 22, and blows the hand piece 22 clean. This situation canalso be remedied by inhaling faster and/or decreasing the setting on thevaporizer apparatus 10 and waiting a few minutes for the heating elementassembly 16 to cool. To cool the heating element assembly 20 faster, theuser can blow through the hand piece, which then directs cool air intothe glass shield 18, 126.

FIG. 10 shows yet another alternative application for the vaporizerapparatus 10 provided in accordance with practice of the presentinvention. As shown, the draw end 34 of the flex tube 32 is connected toan inhalation mouthpiece 168. The inhalation mouthpiece 168 comprises aconnecting end 170, a dome-shape chamber 172, and a draw end 174 and ispreferably made from glass. The draw end 174 is configured to mate witha modified down stem 176, which has astern section 178, a first matingsection 180 and a second mating section 182. The down stem 176 ispreferably made from glass. However, other materials including aluminumand stainless steel may also be used without deviating from the scope ofthe present invention.

The stem section 178 of the down stem 176 is inserted into an inlet 184of a water reservoir of flask 186 having a certain water level 188.However, other structures including a conventional water-based smokingapparatus may also be used instead of the flask. The lower end section177 of the stem section 178 is inserted into the inlet 184 until thefirst mating section 180 of the down stem 176 makes contact and forms aseal with the inlet 184, via a tight fitting fit. Preferably when theseal is formed, the end section 177 of the stem section 178 is elevatedfrom the base 190 of the water reservoir 186 and the water level 188 isabove the end section.

The second mating section 182 of the down stem 176 is configured to matewith the draw end 174 of the inhalation mouth piece 168 when the same isinserted into the down stem. The mating between the inhalationmouthpiece 168 and the second mating section 182 preferably forms aseal, via a tight fitting fit. The seal formed between the second matingsection 182 and mouth piece 168 and the seal formed between the firstmating section 182 and the inlet 184 of the water reservoir 186 arepreferably such that when air is inhaled from the draw end 138 of thesecond flexible tube 136, a vacuum is maintained within the vaporchamber 135 of the water reservoir 186.

FIG. 11 depicts an alternative hand piece 190 provided in accordancewith practice of the present invention. The hand piece 190 comprises aninlet end 192, an outlet end 194, and a bottleneck section 196 locatedwithin the axial bore 198 of the hand piece 190. The bottleneck section196 comprises an opening 200 for allowing the inlet end 192 tocommunicate with the outlet end 194. Just distal of the opening 200 inthe direction of the inlet end 192 is the vaporization chamber. Theopening 200 is preferably in the order of about 0.05 to 0.3 inch tominimize seepage or passage of the packed herbs in the vaporizationchamber 33 from passing through the opening during use. Preferably, theopening is in the range of about 0.1 to 0.15 inch. Generally speaking,the bottleneck section 196 is a reduced section of the axial bore 198 toprovide an area for packing the herbs and for minimizing passage of thepacked herbs. The hand piece 190 is connected to a flexible tubing 32and is useable in the same manner as previously discussed hand pieces,such as the hand piece 22 shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 12 shows the vaporizer apparatus 10 provided in accordance withpractice of the present invention in used with an aromatherapyattachment device 202. The attachment device 202 shown includes a bodysection 204 for receiving the shield 18, which is positioned over theheating element assembly 16, and a containment section 206, which in thepresent embodiment is in the shape of a bowl. The attachment device 202is preferably made from glass, but other readily heat conductingmaterials may be used without deviating from the scope of the presentembodiment, such as aluminum. The containment section 206 is configuredto hold essential fluids 208, such as a combination of essential oil andwater, for aromatherapy.

The combination vaporizer apparatus 10 and attachment device 202 is usedby energizing the heating element assembly 16 as earlier discussed. Theattachment device 202 is then slipped over the heating element assembly16, or over the shield 18, if the shield is used. Essential fluid 208 isthen added to the bowl section 206 of the attachment device to a desiredlevel. Through conduction, convection, and radiation heat generated bythe heating element assembly 16, the essential fluid 208 is heated.Preferably the essential fluid 208 is heated to well-below its boilingpoint, and more preferably to a warm touch so that essential vaporslowly releases from the essential fluid 208 to fill the surroundingspace with herbal essences for inhalation by occupants of thesurrounding space.

Although the preferred embodiments of the invention have been describedwith some specificity, the description and drawings set forth herein arenot intended to be delimiting, and persons of ordinary skill in the artwill understand that various modifications may be made to theembodiments discussed herein without departing from the scope of theinvention, and all such changes and modifications are intended to beencompassed within the appended claims. Various changes to the housingconfiguration, housing materials, hand piece material, etc. may bechanged without substantively changing the inventive concept of thepresent invention. Indeed, other example of changes may include using anadapter in between the shield and the hand piece, using a differentwater reservoir instead of a flask, using an induced air instead ofgenerating negative air pressure by the user, incorporating the waterreservoir with the hand piece to eliminate the second flexible hose, andusing different screen retention means to filter/hold-in the herbswithin the hand piece. Accordingly, many alterations and modificationsmay be made b those having ordinary skill in the art without deviatingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention.

1. A vaporizer apparatus for extracting active ingredients from aspecimen, the vaporizer apparatus comprising: a housing comprising aplurality of walls including a front wall having a first height and aperimeter defining a regulator opening, a side wall comprising a firstside edge of a first edge height and a second side edge of a second edgeheight, and a top wall; the plurality of walls defining an interiorspace; a heating element assembly operable with electrical powerpositioned in the interior space comprising an elongated heating elementfor heating intake air, the heating element defining a shaft having anattached end and a free end; a power regulator for regulating power tothe heating element assembly having a component projecting through theregulator opening of the front wall; a user opening formed in part bythe second edge height of the side wall, which is higher than the firstedge height, and the top wall being positioned, at least in part, higherthan an upper edge of the front wall, the user opening sized andconfigured for coupling a hand piece to the elongated heating element;and a mounting assembly in contact with at least one of the top wall andthe side wall for positioning the free end of the heating element closerto the second side edge than the first side edge of the side wall. 2.The vaporizer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user opening defines aplane and wherein the plane is at a non-right angle to a base wall. 3.The vaporizer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mounting assembly is incontact with both the top wall and the side wall.
 4. The vaporizerapparatus of claim 1, further comprising a knob coupled on an end of anelongated control member.
 5. The vaporizer apparatus of claim 1, furthercomprising a ventilation opening located on a base wall.
 6. Thevaporizer apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a lamp, the lamp iselectrically coupled to the power regulator and wherein the powerregulator regulates both the lamp and the heating element assembly. 7.The vaporizer apparatus of claim 2, wherein the user opening along theplane has an upper edge and a lower edge and wherein the lower edge ispositioned below the upper edge.
 8. The vaporizer apparatus of claim 1,wherein the front wall comprises a recessed space for receiving thepower regulator.
 9. The vaporizer apparatus of claim 1, furthercomprising a base wall made from a plastic material, the base wall beingbounded along at least one edge by a groove.
 10. A vaporizer apparatusfor extracting essences from a carrier, the apparatus comprising: ahousing comprising a plurality of walls including a base wall, a topwall, two side walls each having a sloping edge relative to the basewall, and a front wall comprising a perimeter defining a regulatoropening; the plurality of walls defining an interior space; a heatingelement operable with electric power positioned in the interior space ofthe housing; a power regulator for regulating the electric powerconsumed by the heating element having a component projecting throughthe regulator opening of the front wall; a user opening defining aplane, the plane being offset and at a non-right angle to a frontsurface of the front wall; the user opening defined, at least in part,by the two sloping edges of the two side walls and the top wall; whereinthe user opening is sized and configured for coupling a hand piece tothe heating element; and a mounting assembly for mounting the heatingelement inside the interior space of the housing having a mountingsurface, which acts as a shoulder for the heating element, positionedgenerally orthogonally of the top wall.
 11. The vaporizer apparatus ofclaim 10, wherein each side wall comprises a second sloping edgerelative to the base wall.
 12. The vaporizer apparatus of claim 10,wherein the access opening along the plane comprises an upper edge and alower edge and wherein the lower edge is positioned below the upperedge.
 13. The vaporizer apparatus of claim 10, wherein the base wall ismade from a plastic material and is bounded along at least one edge by agroove.
 14. The vaporizer apparatus of claim 10, wherein the mountingassembly is in contact with the top wall and the two side walls.
 15. Thevaporizer apparatus of claim 13, wherein the base wall comprises aventilation opening.
 16. The vaporizer apparatus of claim 10, whereinthe front wall comprises a recessed space for receiving the powerregulator.
 17. A method for extracting active ingredients from acarrier, said method comprising the steps: placing a housing comprisinga heating element on a surface so that a control knob, a user opening,and a free end of the heating element are all closer to a user thanfurther from the user; sending current to the heating element byplugging a power cord into a power outlet. loading a hand piece with thecarrier and moving the hand piece at a non-right angle relative to thesurface through the user opening to place the hand piece incommunication with the heating element; and providing a heated airstream to the carrier to heat the carrier to a temperature that ishigher than ambient temperature.
 18. The method as recited in claim 17,wherein the housing comprises a plurality of walls including a basewall, a top wall, two side walls each having a sloping edge relative tothe base wall, and a front wall comprising a perimeter defining aregulator opening.
 19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein theheating element is positioned on a mounting assembly and wherein themounting assembly is in contact with both the top wall and the two sidewalls.
 20. The method of claim 17, further comprising a base wallcomprising a ventilation opening.